Chiropractors are doctors. Officially their title is Doctor of Chiropractic. Before a Chiropractor lays their hands on your back or neck, they’ve first laid their eyes on hundreds of books. They’ve studied for at least 7 challenging years at university and post-graduate levels (at a Chiropractic college). Anatomy, physiology, pathology, neurology, biomechanics, X-rays and spinal adjusting techniques are just a handful of the topics they’ve studied.

Chiropractic training doesn’t stop at the end of a textbook. Far from it. Before receiving their Doctor designation, Chiropractic students undergo an intensive and closely supervised internship program at a Chiropractic College Clinic. This is their true training ground, the place where they gain and perfect valuable hands-on healing skills. 

Finally, after years of study, Chiropractic students must pass a rigorous National Board and Provincial/State Licensing Board examinations in order to practice. 

A lot of people ask how chiropractic education compares to medical education. Since both work with the human body there is much similarity in their studies – but there are important differences as well. The following chart compares medical and chiropractic education. It was compiled from a review of the curriculum catalogues of 22 medical schools and 11 chiropractic colleges and updates from the National Health Federation Bulletin.